Those competing in the game were preparing for the Vietnam War the last time Navy and Oklahoma met on a football field.
The Sooners and Midshipmen will play in the Armed Forces Bowl at 11 a.m. CT on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be only the second time the two storied programs have met and first time since 1965.
The first and only meeting to this point was in Norman during Week 2 of the 1965 season. Navy came out on top, 10-0. The Midshipmen struck first with a touchdown in the first quarter then added a field goal in the second quarter before a scoreless second half.
The Sooners struggled mightily offensively, even moreso than what's been seen in 2024. OU totaled 83 yards with only 6 through the air on one completion in 10 pass attempts.
In a turn of events, Navy actually out-passed the Sooners with 218 yards on 12-of-24 passing. The Midshipmen averaged 18.2 yards per completion that day. This season, Navy is averaging 126.4 passing yards a game.
That wasn't a team that mirrored the Sooners' esteemed tradition, though. Oklahoma went 3-7 after starting the season 0-3 with losses to Pittsburgh, Navy and Texas. The Sooners were outscored 42-9 during that span.
The Sooners won three of their next four games against Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State before ending the season on another three-game losing streak.
It's still one of the worst seasons in OU history nearly 60 years later and ended with Gomer Jones resigning.
Meanwhile, Navy went 4-4-2 that season. The Midshipmen's victory over OU started a three-game winning streak that also included William & Mary and Pittsburgh.
Once again, the Midshipmen will get another struggling OU football team 59 years later. The Sooners are 6-6 and will be even more depleted by kickoff because of transfer departures and opt outs.
Navy, though, will be at nearly full strength after putting together a 9-3 regular season. It's the Midshipmen's first winning season since 2019.
It's a matchup 59 years in the making that the Sooners appear unprepared for.